To save energy, popping socket unplugs plugs

Here's an intriguing design concept that's been stirring the currents
of the blogosphere lately: an electrical wall socket that unplugs plugs
as a way of saving power.
That's right--if your toaster sits idle for too long, the "PumPing
Tap" lets you know it's time to toast or get out of the slot. It detects
the drop in current and fires a spring-loaded mechanism that in turn
fires the toaster's plug across the kitchen (or at least onto the
counter--and hopefully not into the butter dish).
You do get a heads-up. When a plugged-in device is switched off and
is no longer being used, a ring of bluish light around the socket turns
to red, giving you a 10-minute warning. When time's up, pop goes the
plug.
The device is, of course, meant to conserve energy (and money) that's wasted when gadgets like computers and TVs are in standby mode.
The PumPing Tap won a 2011 Red Dot Award for design concept (the Red Dots are international product- and communication-design prizes handed out each year by the Design Zentrum Nordrhein Westfalen in Essen, Germany).
And it is an interesting idea, though we're not convinced it strikes exactly the right cord (er, chord).
One can imagine various undesired scenarios popping up in regard to
flying and falling plugs (see "butter dish" above). And there's also the
question of plugs that are located in hard-to-reach places.
Perhaps the better idea would be to create a socket that simply switches itself off, as some power strips apparently do (though certain issues would no doubt need to be addressed).
But who knows? If a product like the "PumPing Tap" were to be
developed and marketed, it might capture the public's imagination in
unforeseen ways and become a nice little poster-gadget for energy
awareness.
Extreme plug-popping competitions, anyone?(Via Gizmag)